The technique of peritoneal dialysis has been one technique in which the kidney function of a uremic patient is replaced by dialyzing the peritoneum by inserting peritoneal dialysis solution into the peritoneum of the patient, allowing solute exchange from the blood to the peritoneal dialysis solution through the peritoneum, and then removing the peritoneal dialysis solution.
In a recent development, the technique of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis permits the patient to have a surgically implanted catheter which may be connected intermittently to a peritoneal dialysis transfer set. The transfer set, in turn, connects to a bag of peritoneal dialysis solution, which is emptied through the transfer set into the peritoneal cavity. The patient then is ambulatory, without disconnecting the bag or the transfer set, until the dialysis exchange procedure has taken place, after which the peritoneal dialysis solution is allowed to flow back into the bag, which may then be disconnected from the transfer set.
A description of the continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis technique may be found in Popovich U.S. Application Ser. No. 773,912, filed Mar. 3, 1977 and entitled: "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUS AMBULATORY PERITONEAL DIALYSIS", and Dennehey, et al. U.S. Application Ser. No. 005,748, filed Jan. 23, 1979, and entitled "SOLUTION CONTAINER FOR CONTINUOUS AMBULATORY PERITONEAL DIALYSIS".
As part of some peritoneal dialysis techniques, it is desirable to make a sterile connection between the solution container, and the transfer set, and then later to break the same connection in an aseptic manner after the container has been refilled with spent peritoneal dialysis solution, for reconnection to another container.
While connections between sets and bags or other containers are routinely made, it turns out that a good, sterile, connection seal between the port tubing of a bag and a spike of a set in a flexible port tubing of a container is very difficult to disconnect. The flexible port tubing is usually not very easily gripped with the fingers, and it turns out to be difficult to get a good grip on it, so that the spike can be twisted out in an aseptic manner. When a nurse or a technician is using extreme effort to break the connection between the spike of the transfer set and the tubing of a filled bag, it is possible for the fingers to touch the connection in a contaminating way. Also it is possible for the bag of spent solution to spill in the effort of disconnection.
In accordance with this invention, a gripper member is provided for gripping plastic tubing and the like to provide rotational retention to the plastic tubing, plus a mechanical advantage so that the effort involved in the rotational retention is easier. It then becomes a much easier matter to simply twist and remove the spike out of the tube while, at the same time, the gripper member holds the tubing of the solution container closed so that solution does not spill.